Being Likable Really Helps in Poker

There are a ton of personalities at the poker table.  Some good, some bad and many every where in between.  More than likely, you don’t want to become the guy (or girl) that nobody likes.  In general, I believe that poker players are better off when they don’t have the rest of the table trying to bust them.  However, I clause this by saying some players do well in this scenario and take optimal advantage of the situation.

Jean Robert Bellande comes to mind as someone that thrives on chaos.  In the clip below, Bellande actually talks about chatting it up with Sam Grizzle.  If you’ve seen him at the WSOP, you can definitely vouch for his boisterousness but also his success.  Bellande is constantly mocking and sarcastically praising other players and induces some wild decisions in his favor.  Still, Bellande is the exception.

A player on the other end of the spectrum is Daniel Negreanu.  Daniel takes a light and friendly approach to interacting with others at the table.  Many players like Daniel.  I’ve even heard of some not calling his all-ins simply because they liked him.  Obviously this could just be an excuse to lay down a hand they weren’t confident in, but the point cannot be ignored.  Ultimately, friendly players will get more players to take it easy on them.  And still, we all know Negreanu is possibly the most dangerous player at any given time.  He could be dubbed a friendly assassin for his poker style and winning ways.

Daniel’s method is going to be the best way for most.  Its much easier to be successful with a friendly approach than it is with the continual “get under your skin” method of Bellande.  Bellande is just one of those guys that his poker personality really works well with his actual game.  Its a rarity.  A lot of people try to replicate his success with the same chiding behavior but don’t go far.